Slovakia boss blames Declan Rice for furious row despite England star’s apology
Declan Rice was involved in an angry clash with Slovakia boss Francesco Calzona after the Three Lions’ extra-time win at Euro 2024 and the latter has now offered his say on the incident
Slovakia boss Francesco Calzona has taken fresh aim at Declan Rice following their furious clash despite the England star’s apology.
Calzona and Rice were involved in a fiery showdown at the end of the Three Lions’ 2-1 extra time success at Euro 2024. The former appeared to push the midfielder, which triggered a furious reaction.
He had to be pulled away by teammates Aaron Ramsdale and Ivan Toney. Rice then also appeared to shout “bald c***” towards Calzona in response.
And the Slovakia boss offered his take on the incident shortly after full-time. He said: "Rice was supposed to go to the referees and leave. I had to speak to the refs and he wasn't leaving, he carried on. But then he apologised and it was all fine. I didn't like the way the England team were wasting time and were not punished.”
READ MORE: Win a £100 Amazon gift card, an Adidas Euro 2024 replica ball and £25 to spend at Just Eat in our fab giveawayREAD MORE: Jude Bellingham unlikely to be banned by UEFA as England star sticks to his storyBut Calzona has now offered a fresh take. He admitted that Rice should have moved away from the officials, and the blame lies with the England star.
Speaking to Sky Sports Italia, the Italian said: “Rice was standing close to the referees, I wanted to ask the reason for the lack of added time considering the time-wasting done by the English, he shouted at me and I replied in a similar tone.
“He is a great player, perhaps he shouldn’t have been there acting like a bodyguard for the referee. He could’ve avoided that, but he did apologise to me straight after that.”
England eventually got the last laugh against Slovakia after Jude Bellingham ’s late equaliser in normal time. The Three Lions then scored an extra-time winner through captain Harry Kane.
What team should England name vs Switzerland? Share your thoughts in the comments below
It saw Gareth Southgate’s side tee up a quarter-final clash with Switzerland on Saturday. It also saw Slovakia exit from the competition.
Speaking about his side’s tournament on the whole, Calzona added: “Overall I am satisfied with our tournament, even if there is so much regret because we were close to making history for this country.
“I am proud of the lads, because we pinned England back into their own half for 29 minutes of extra time. We played good football in the group phase too, but while we felt confident going in, we didn’t expect to be moments away from qualifying for the quarter-finals.”
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
